Scotland v Ukraine: Back the Scots to beat Ukraine at Hampden

Scotland v Ukraine
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports

Race for pole position

Second hosts first in this UEFA Nations League Group B1 fixture at Hampden in Glasgow on Wednesday evening.

The locals have lost one of their opening three games but know victory would lift them above their unbeaten opponents and into pole position.

There's an extra edge to this match after Ukraine came here and eliminated the Scots from the World Cup playoffs before losing against Wales in the final.

The home fans seek revenge while the visitors target more of the same.

Scotland playing catch-up

Scotland start this match sitting second in the table, with their stats for this Nations League campaign showing two wins against one defeat with six goals scored and four conceded.

The six points tally leaves them a point off the pace set by Ukraine and two better than the third-placed Republic of Ireland, a team that has played a game more.

Steve Clarke's side opened with a 2-0 win over Armenia at this venue but suffered an embarrassing 3-0 loss in Dublin, which upset many supporters and left them calling for the head of the manager.

Clarke and co got back on track with a 4-1 away win over Armenia, but followers remain unconvinced and will want to see a big performance on Wednesday.

Ukraine leads the way

The Ukrainian national team and its followers would have been forgiven for putting football to the back of their minds due to the ongoing conflict in the region, but the players have been able to leave those worries at the side of the pitch.

They made it to the final match of the World Cup playoffs, dispatching Scotland before running into the Welsh, going down 1-0 in Cardiff with the winning goal scored by Gareth Bale.

Since suffering that narrow but decisive defeat, Ukraine have played three and remains unbeaten in that period.

They began their Nations League drive with a 1-0 win over ROI in Dublin, then dispatched Armenia 3-0 in a home match.

We last saw the Ukrainians hosting Ireland, but they were held to a 1-1 draw, having to fight back after conceding early.

Competitive market

The pre-match betting market attached to this fixture is competitive, with gamblers at a loss to nail down a strong favourite.

That suggests we are in for a hard-fought contest, but which side will come out on top and take control of the pool? A home win would put Scotland two points clear after four games, while an away win sends Ukraine four in front.

Scotland disappointed against Ukraine here in the playoff, but that was an emotionally charged occasion with off-field issues overshadowing the game.

Clarke wants to make the fans believe again, and a home win at 2.727/4 would help achieve that. The draw is 3.211/5 with Ukraine trading at 3.052/1.

These sides have met three times previously, with Ukraine winning twice. The margin of victory was two goals in all three meetings, with the final score reading 3-1 in each of the last two games.

Could we be in for another goal-fest? Over 2.5 goals is 2.526/4, which will add value to your midweek multiples, or you can try both teams to score at 2.0621/20.

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